Sathia wants his boys to make life difficult for Chelsea
Malaysia need to come out of their shell and take the game to their opponents when they face Chelsea at the Shah Alam Stadium tonight.
That’s the advice national coach B. Sathianathan has given his charges.
But the reality is that, based on Chelsea’s Asian Tour results thus far, Malaysia are in for a hiding.
Chelsea, who finished runners-up in the English Premier League and Champions League last season, started their pre-season campaign with a 4-0 win over Guangzhou on July 21 before thrashing Chengdu Blades of Macau 7-0 on Wednesday.
The writing is on the wall for Malaysia although new Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari had said that the Asian Tour was merely a “training match” for his players before the face their first serious test against Lokomotiv Moscow of Russia on Aug 3.
Chelsea will be parading new Portuguese signing Deco as well as top draw cards that include skipper John Terry, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Nicolas Anelka, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, Michael Essien, Saloman Kalou, Andriy Shevchenko, Petr Cech, Carlo Cudicini and Shaun Wright Phillips.
Sathianathan acknowledged that this Chelsea team were stronger compared to the one who played in the FAPL Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur in 2003.
Then, the national team lost 1-4, with Hairuddin Omar scoring the only goal for Malaysia at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
“Even if Chelsea decide to rest some of their first team players, the reserves will still be as strong as the first team,” said Sathianathan.
“In fact, the reserves have extra incentive to give their best as they will be out to impress their new boss. I think the second stringers would be much stronger than the regulars.”
But Sathianathan still has faith in his men, saying they would be prepared for the tough task.
“I want them to make it hard for Chelsea. Respect them but do not fear them,” said Sathianathan.
National striker Mohd Safee Sali will be the lone striker upfront while Indra Putra Mahayuddin and Hairuddin Omar will support from attacking midfield positions.
Skipper Mohd Shukor Adan is expected to hold the engine room while seasoned centreback Norhafiz Zamani Misbah will man the defence with Mohd Helmi Eliza Elias in goal.
Yesterday, more than 5,000 Chelsea fans watched their favourite team in action at an open training session at the Shah Alam Stadium. The fans, clad in blue, were thrilled to watch their heroes go through their paces in the more than an hour session.
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